Vehicles make extensive use of programmed electronics to control a variety of apparatus and functions. Typically, electronic control units (ECUs) provide control of apparatus and functions. Each ECU typically comprises a microcontroller and a flash memory to store software and parameters for controlling the specific ECU related apparatus or functions.
The ECUs are interconnected into a vehicle network via a bus. One such vehicle network bus in common usage is a controller area network (CAN) bus that is a standardized vehicle bus designed to allow ECUs and devices to communicate with each other.
Modern vehicles also typically comprise wireless communication capabilities. One such mechanism for providing wireless communications may include a telematics control unit (TCU). Generally, a TCU refers to an embedded system on board a vehicle that combines telecommunications and information processing. The term has evolved to refer to automobile systems that combine global positioning system (GPS) satellite tracking and wireless communications. A TCU typically comprises or has access to a global positioning system (GPS) unit, which keeps track of the location of the vehicle, a memory, a microcontroller, and one or more interfaces for wireless mobile communication via, for example, GPRS, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, or LTE. A TCU is connected or coupled to the vehicle network bus.
From time to time the vehicle manufacture may issue software updates to provide enhancements or corrections or other changes to software and data stored in the various ECUs. The updates are installed by reflashing the ECU flash memories.
Typically software updates are provided under a manufacturers warranty or as part of a recall. Notices are sent out to vehicle owners requesting that the owner return the vehicle to a manufacturer's dealer for software updating. Upon bringing the vehicle into the dealer, the vehicle dealer installs the software update.
There are significant costs associated with providing vehicle updates. Manufacturers typically reimburse the vehicle dealer for installing the software. In addition there are costs associated with sending the notifications to the vehicle owners. It is not uncommon for vehicle owners to fail to respond to a notification thereby necessitating the additional expense of subsequent notifications. It is not uncommon for a vehicle owner to fail to timely respond to the inconvenience of bringing a vehicle into a dealer.
Accordingly it is desirable to provide methods and apparatus that permit remote updating of vehicle software such that dealer costs for software installation are significantly reduced or eliminated altogether.